How To Have A Thriving Relationship with a 1 | Ep. 385

When we pray, it can be tempting to make our prayers a wishlist. But praying in line with God’s word changes things, and today we’re talking about why that matters and how to pray biblically for your marriage. Today Dr. Kim shares 4 prayers that line up with Scripture that you can be praying daily to grow you, and your marriage! 

Don’t miss this powerful episode. We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• Why it matters to pray biblically

• What makes a prayer biblical

• The risk involved in praying these things, and the reward they provide

• How these prayers have impacted Dr. Kim and Nancy’s marriage 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• We’ve probably all heard some things taught, or caught, that were not biblical. We’ve heard ideas like, 'If God loves you, He’ll make you happy,' or 'If you marry the right person, marriage will be easy,' that do not line up with Scripture.”- Lindsay Few 

• “Trusting him may be the hardest first step for some of us, because we’re not sure what he’ll do.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• “Sometimes the prayer we want answered is just the thing that’s easiest for us.” - Lindsay Few 

• “He’s always good, even though we don’t see it at times.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• “Each of us can be thankful that God knows not only what’s best for us, but for the whole world. We don’t have to be burdened with that. He’s got that.” - Lindsay Few 

• “If you’re lining up with what God states in his word that He wants to have happen, that’s going to be really powerful.” - Lindsay Few 

• “We can’t hide anything from God.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• “Sexual desire is created for a reason. It’s not a secret from God.” - Lindsay Few 

4 Prayers to Grow You and Your Marriage: 

• Pray that God will help you love like Christ loved. 

• Ask God to search you, know your heart, and reveal any offensive way.

• Pray that your desire will be for your spouse only. 

• Ask God to help you see your spouse as He does. 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• Make prayer a regular part of your marriage with our 21 Prayers for Building An Awesome Marriage 

• If your marriage is struggling to recover after infidelity, please check out our Affair Recovery Course. For less than the cost of 2 counseling sessions, this course helps you learn and take the needed steps to healing. 

• If porn has damaged your marriage, please take advantage of these resources we’ve created just for you: 

• The Marriage Undefiled Course

• Dr. Kim’s podcast episode with Matt Cline 

• Find more prayers to grow your marriage in the 7 Prayers YouVersion Bible reading  plan 

What does it look like to live in intimacy with God each day? We are delighted to have Faith Eury Cho with us today, sharing about what friendship with God means, even in the “wilderness” times in our lives. 

Faith is the CEO and founder of the Honor Summit, a gospel preacher, and author of the new book, Experiencing Friendship with God: How the Wilderness Draws Us to His Presence. Faith does a great job de-mystifying this lofty topic, so you don’t want to miss this conversation. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• What does “friendship with God” actually mean? 

• Practical ways to “practice God’s presence,” even if it seems out of reach 

• How friendship with God impacts marriage

• How to grow spiritually with your spouse

• Ways to take these concepts into parenting / grandparenting 

• How to navigate the wilderness seasons of our faith 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “Sometimes without even knowing, we believe so that God can give us a better life.” - Faith Eury Cho

• “Friendship with God is just intimacy on a day to day level.” Faith Eury Cho

• “We need to really redefine what experience actually means. Because if we go into any relationship, any - our spouse, our kids, our friends - having a set agenda of what experiencing that relationship should look like to us, it can be very unhealthy really quick.” -  Faith Eury Cho

• “Start simple. Start with something that is a natural offshoot to your regular rhythms of life.”  - Faith Eury Cho

• “I remember moments I would tell God, ‘I don’t have a prayer to pray, I don’t have a song to sing, but I’m here.’”  - Faith Eury Cho

• “God cares about every little thing, and we want to give him the opportunity to show us that.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• “Some of us are friends with fear, not the presence of God, and I think we’ve got to break up with our fear!” - Faith Eury Cho

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• What is one way you and your spouse like to worship God together? 

• Have you seen God move during a ‘wilderness’ season? 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• Find Faith on Instagram or at her website, www.faitheurycho.com

• Grab Faith’s book, Experiencing Friendship with God: How the Wilderness Draws Us to His Presence.

• Our 2 Week Couples Scripture Challenge is a practical tool to help you get in the Word with your spouse each day. Find out more here!  

• Our House Prayer Cards are one of our best-loved resources, making it simple to use mundane moments for godly purpose in your home. Learn more HERE!

• If you’d like to get each of our monthly marriage resources delivered directly to your inbox, while also supporting the non-profit ministry of Awesome Marriage, it’s time to become a Marriage Changer! Get all the details here.

How’s the romance in your marriage? How does it compare to when you were dating? (… and does that matter?)

Romance can fall by the wayside in marriage because it seems like an “extra” that you’ll get around to when you have extra time or money, or if you feel inspired to make a grand gesture. 

But today Dr. Kim shares several reasons NOT to let that be the case in your marriage. Listen to learn why you need to bring the romance back and HOW to realistically make that happen. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• Dr. Kim shares specific ways romance benefits a marriage 

• What does romance look like for men vs. for women? 

• What to do if you’re just not feeling it 

• Whose job is it to make sure the romance is good?  

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “Most people would say at some point it was there. So how do you get it back?” - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “We kind of quit doing romantic things because we’re not feeling it. Sometimes we have to go ahead and do them, so that we feel it again.”  - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “Marriage is a lot better when you’ve got romance in it.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “I think we’d like it to come naturally, like it does in the movies 

• “It’s ok to have the conversation. We have to get past the mindset of, ‘If you really loved me, you’d know.’” - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “Romance is a great way to show your spouse, I see you, I appreciate you, and I care about what you care about.” Lindsay Few 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

•  Have you talked about romance with your spouse? 

• Ask them: What is sexy to you? What is romantic to you? 

• Don’t judge their answers! 

• Answers may change over time, so check in every now and then. 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

- The ❤️‍🔥Sexy Bundle❤️‍helps bring the romance riiight on home! Get all the details about this limited time Bundle HERE!

Whether you love it or hate it, you spend the majority of your waking hours doing it. And as today’s guest tells us, it’s mentioned over 800 times in the Bible: We’re talking about work.  

That’s why we’re so pleased to have Jordan Raynor join us on the podcast today to talk about how your work matters to God - today, every day of your life, and for eternity. This conversation will leave you inspired and encouraged to engage well with the word God is calling you to do, every single day. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• 3 ways your everyday work matters for eternity 

• Why Jordan advocates for making an “Anti-Bucket List”

• The Biblical truths of Heaven & Eternity that NO ONE is talking about 

• The “abridged Gospel” that most of us believe & the implications we miss if we do 

• The practical ways these deep biblical truths will impact your marriage 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “When we understand what God’s word has to say about work, it frees us up to be exceptional both at work and at home.” - Jordan Raynor 

• “While God’s word is clear that our labor in the Lord is not in vain, it also makes clear that GOd doesn’t need you or me - His purposes will not be thwarted. He does not need us, he wants us.” - Jordan Raynor  

• “I can be at peace walking away from my work at the end of the day … because I know that if the things on my to - do list are on God’s to - do list, he’s going to complete them with or without me. That’s terrifically freeing.” - Jordan Raynor  

• “Scripture mentions work more than 800 times. There’s no need to doubt whether or not God cares about your work.” - Jordan Raynor 

• “When you understand that 100% of your time at home and at work matters to God, you become fully alive. And this world is desperate to see people that are fully alive.”  Jordan 

• “I went to Christian school for 13 years. And I remember frequently sitting in chapel, and quietly dreading the thought of heaven.

• “We are called to keep watch for Christ’s return, not by sitting on our hands and waiting for heaven to drop from the sky, but by working with our hands and joining him in cultivating heaven on earth today.” - Jordan Raynor 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• How does the Biblical idea of stewarding your time change your daily work life?  

Work - life balance is not limited to the workplace: It’s also the work of running a home, and it’s a challenge for most couples to share this load well. Today Dr. Kim is sharing some of his best tips for finding balance in the home. 

The struggle to find work - life balance does not end when you get home in the evening. Taking care of a home and family is a huge portion of our workload that you can’t ignore. But you can find ways to handle it well – TOGETHER!

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage.

Episode highlights include:  

• Tips for spouses who work outside the home 

• Tips for those who work from home 

• Tips for stay-at-home parents 

• Signs you & your spouse need to work toward better balance 

• The need for boundaries to help with balance; how to work on them together

• What to do if you get stuck, or if you’ve tried to address things and it’s not working

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• Resolving conflict doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It takes work, but when you talk and listen well, you’ll find that most things, you can resolve. - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• At the end of your life,  you’re not going to look back and say, “I wish I’d looked at my phone a few more times.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling  

• If you get stuck, it’s ok to get help.  - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• The things that matter work themselves out in the very small details of life. - Lindsay Few

• Maybe you think everyone else is doing it all, so you’re trying to do it all. I don’t think that’s realistic or healthy. - Lindsay Few 

• It’s easy to fall in those traps and not really know that you’ve even fallen into them. - Dr. Kim Kimberling 

• We have to make sure we’re saying what we mean and what we need instead of just hoping our spouse catches the hint. - Lindsay few 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• Is the workload in your home balanced?  

• Do you have a mentor couple in your life? 

• Are your boundaries with tech (screentime, phones) working well? 

• Talk with your spouse and rate how you’re doing with work / life balance together, on a scale of 1-10? 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• Get all the details about our limited time Sexy Bundle HERE 

• Team You & Me 

• For more help with setting healthy boundaries, listen to our Boundaries Series:

• Boundaries For Your Marriage: What They Are and Why They Are Important | Ep. 544

• Boundaries Within Your Marriage | Ep. 546

• Boundaries Outside Your Marriage | Ep. 547

• How to Set Marriage Boundaries | Ep. 548

• Boundaries & Marriage: What NOT to Do | Ep. 550

• Real Stories of Healthy Marriage Boundaries | Ep. 551

• Boundaries Q & A | Ep. 552

• Boundaries Course

Practically speaking, balance is hard to find, and even harder to maintain. While work-life balance is a very common issue, it IS possible to alleviate unnecessary stress and find better balance. 

In today’s episode Dr Kim will share practical tips to help you find that balance. Dr. Kim shares some of the common pain points that he sees couples facing, and some of the best ways he’s seen to deal with those. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• Tips to help you handle the stress between spouses so that your marriage tension doesn’t add onto the stress of work-life balance 

• Some early signs of burnout you cannot afford to ignore 

• The importance of making peace with imperfection

• Helpful perspective tips for both career and extracurricular commitments 

• Practical tips for work-from-home balance 

Subscribe to Podcast Email to make sure you never miss an episode. When you sign up, you will get our 4 Week Connection Challenge for free! Plus you will get noteworthy quotes, resources, and more delivered straight to your inbox.

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “I was saying no to my family a lot because I was saying yes to all these other things.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “Figure out who you are, who you’re working for, what do you really want, and what do you need to get there. Sometimes we get on that treadmill and we just keep going.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “I think it is changing, but there’s still a culture that glorifies overwork, burnout and hustle. It can be hard to step out of that because it feels important to be in it.”  - Lindsay Few 

• “We have a God that is bigger than my mistakes and imperfections. If I really think the world depends on me being perfect, then I’ve got a problem.” - Dr. Kim Kimberling

• “You don’t just get balanced and stay balanced forever. It’s a constant work in progress.” - Lindsay Few

• “We look around and everyone’s dealing with this, so we just think this is normal. If something has resonated with you, it’s okay to acknowledge that you want things to go better.” - Lindsay Few

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• 4 reflection questions to help you move forward: What worked, what do I want to do more of, what didn’t work, what do I want to do less of? 

•  God wants you to thrive. Trust that when you seek these answers, He will answer.  

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• We mentioned this podcast episode with Gary Thomas 

• Get all the details about our limited time Sexy Bundle HERE 

• Learn more about what makes expectations healthy in “Unpack Your Expectations, Unfrustrate Your Life” and try a week of Online Women’s Bible Study, FREE! 

Does your home echo with the sounds of sibling squabbles?

Do you wish for more connection with your kids?

If so, today’s episode is for you! Don & Suzanne Manning, the founders of Crazy Cool Family, are passionate about equipping Christian families with strategies to cultivate a family culture they ALL enjoy living with! 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• Effective ways to protect kids from screen & tech temptations

• Where to invest your time and energy for the best parenting outcomes - and where NOT to 

• The goal of disciplining our kids and how to work toward it 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “Don’t look at the outside and all the fearful things - don't waste your time and energy there: You’re going after your kids’ heart.” - Suzanne Manning

• “Kids are wired to want us on their team. They want our input. ”  - Suzanne Manning

•  “Control is based in fear, and connection is based in love.” - Don Manning 

• “Most people try to control, because we don’t know what to do. But it doesn’t work.” Dr Kim Kimberling  

• “We never tell parents they need to work harder. They need to work differently. Becoming an encourager and being a listener are two ways to do that.” - Don Manning  

• “Our children are going to go where the encouragement is.” - Suzanne Manning 

• “Because of technology and culture, connection today is more important than it’s ever been.” - Don Manning 

• “The goal of discipline is self-control. When situations come up, they are opportunities to build self control in my kids. Opportunities to build them up for the next stage of life.” - Don Manning 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

•  Do you lean more toward connection, or control?

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• Find more resources and info from Don & Suzanne at CrazyCoolFamily.com

• Listen to the Crazy Cool Family Podcast 

• Reduce unnecessary arguments, decrease stress in your home, develop better understanding of your spouse, AND strengthen your bond as a couple with THIS: Our 30-Day Communication Challenge! 

•  

• Need more communication help? Sign up here to save your spot for Dr. Kim’s FREE webinar,  “7 Common Communication Mistakes Couples Make”

• Questions about gaslighting, narcissism and blame? Submit them anonymously HERE or DM us on Instagram. Dr. Kim will answer them in an upcoming episode 

Are you uncertain with your  food choices or unhappy with your body? Is it possible to truly be at peace with food and your body? If you’re not comfortable with your body, this will spill over into your marriage. Gaining a biblical perspective with this will help you heal your relationship with your body and food choices, and in turn, your marriage. 

Today we are delighted to have Brittany Braswell joining us to tackle these personal and often painful topics, and share hope, help, and Biblical perspective on these topics. Brittany is a Registered Dietician, Christian speaker and host of the Joy-Filled Eater Podcast, and a wealth of wisdom and encouragement on navigating these challenging topics.  

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• What does Scripture actually say about body image? 

• How our view of our body impacts our marriage

• Brittany’s 1st priority for her clients’ nutrition – this might surprise you!

• Tips to handle food choices if you and your spouse are not on the same page  

• Ways to support your spouse if they are struggling in this area

• Ways to ask for your spouse’s support if you’re struggling in this area  

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “So much of it is our perception: If I see my body negatively, then I’m assuming my spouse does too.” - Brittany Braswell 

• “So much of the conversation around body image is very me-centric, not Christ centric.”  - Brittany Braswell 

• “The Lord blessed us with this variety of flavors and gave us taste buds to be able to enjoy them!” -  Brittany Braswell 

• “It’s ok to ask for help. You don’t have to meet a certain criteria to deserve some support.”  -  Brittany Braswell 

• “We can eat in a way that helps our bodies to thrive so that our bodies don’t become the thing that holds us back from fulfilling the calling and purpose God has placed on our lives.” -  Brittany Braswell  

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• If it’s hard for you to believe it when your spouse says they are attracted to you, dig a little deeper: Why is it hard to believe?  

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• For more wisdom on these topics, listen to Brittany’s podcast, The Joy Filled Eater

• Here’s the episode on gluttony she mentioned in today’s conversation with Dr. Kim 

• Find Free Resources as well as coaching, courses & community on Brittanys’ website BrittanyBraswellRD.com 

• Facebook Support Group: Food Freedom and Body Image Support for Christian Women 

• Follow her on Instagram 

If you want to avoid communication breakdowns in your marriage, today’s episode is for you!

Today, Dr. Kim is going to share 3 very common mistakes he sees as he counsels couples, so that you can avoid them! Whether you need a total overhaul or just a few friendly reminders, today’s episode has practical, actionable advice that will help you improve the communication in your marriage. 

Are you making the same mistakes most couples make with communication? Dr. Kim has pretty much seen it all, and today he is going to help you avoid those mistakes, and build better communication instead. 

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

•  3 of the most common mistakes Dr. Kim sees over and over with couples he counsels: Blame, discounting, and distraction. 

• The impact each of these mistakes has on a spouse and marriage

• The practical steps to avoid each of these communication pitfalls 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• When you resolve conflict, both of you have to take responsibility for your part in it. I’ve never seen an issue where 1 person was 100% responsible. - Dr. Kim 

• I think it’s easy for us to rationalize, fool ourselves, and take the time to think it through.  - Dr. Kim 

• I’ve done it, I’ve seen it in other wives: It’s easy for us in parenting to discount our husband’s opinion. - Lindsay 

• Listen in a way that you can let them know you heard what they said. - Dr. Kim 

• As a parent with kids in the home, it’s great to have the reminder that they are benefitting from us putting boundaries that let us have an adult relationship with our spouse. As important as they are to us, we should value showing them that solid foundation and modeling marriage for them.  - Lindsay 

• I identify with all three of these, I’ve done them all. I’ts not something you just get right then coast, you have to stay on top of it. - Dr. Kim  

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• Do you use “I” statements to communicate what you need with your spouse? 

• For example: Instead of, “You always ignore me when I’m talking,” say, “I feel hurt when you scroll on your phone when I’m talking. I want to know that you care about what I have to say.” 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• Need more communication help? Sign up here to save your spot for Dr. Kim’s FREE webinar,  “7 Common Communication Mistakes Couples Make”

• Questions about gaslighting, narcissism and blame? Submit them anonymously HERE or DM us on Instagram. Dr. Kim will answer them in an upcoming episode 

• Want to reduce unnecessary arguments, decrease stress in your home, develop better understanding of your spouse, OR just strengthen your bond as a couple? Our 30-Day Communication Challenge is for you! 

• With Dr. Kim’s One Thing email, you’ll get one practical tip each weekday to build your marriage.

• The Marriage Multiplier is a quick weekly email that gives you practical ways to be intentional to grow your marriage. Sign up HERE! 

While their life appeared to be successful, fun and amazing, Andy and Sara’s marriage was at a breaking point. Their life was at a high point, but their relationship had reached a low. In today’s episode they share how their marriage recovered.

Can a marriage survive the damage of gaslighting and blame? Today’s episode is proof it can. Dr. Kim got to witness a complete transformation in Andy and Sara’s marriage. Their story is full of grace and hope, and we are so thankful to them for sharing it with us today.

We pray this episode is helpful for you and your marriage. 

Episode highlights include:  

• How did things look good from the outside for as long as they did?

• How Sara used waiting to grow closer to God 

• The turning point that allowed Andy to start to change

• The specific process that changed Andy from the inside out 

*Music for this podcast is created by Noah Copeland. Check him out here! 

QUOTES

• “We lived this big, giant, amazing life. The problem was, I was getting wrapped more and more into my success, thinking I was this great gift to humanity.” - Andy  

• “I felt like he didn’t know me. He didn’t know my heart.” - Sara

• “I was searching for the world to fill that void in my chest that only God can fill.” - Andy  

• “You need to meditate and delight in the word of God to change the trajectory of your life.” Pastor Mike (via Andy) 

• “The Lord didn’t care about all my success. He wanted me broken at the foot of the cross.” - Andy 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• How have you seen God show up in the midst of difficult times? 

• What are the little things your spouse does that make you feel loved? 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• Questions about gaslighting and blame? Submit them anonymously HERE or over on Instagram for Dr. Kim to answer in an upcoming episode 

• Want to reduce unnecessary arguments, decrease stress in your home, develop better understanding of your spouse, OR just strengthen your bond as a couple? Our 30-Day Communication Challenge is for you!